Welcome to the dark and luxurious world of the German fashion photographer Helen Sobiralski! Thoughtful and provocative, her photographs convey vivid stillness, dangerously delicate sexuality, and silence that speaks volumes – like in Baroque paintings. Sobiralski earned international recognition with her unusual award-winning photography series titled Cockaignesque exploring the theme of opulence and oblivious abundance.
Every image is highly planned and impeccably executed. The photographs display symbolic ideas and gestures that aim to invoke a particular reaction from the audience. For example, a few of her photographs include a seemingly opulent woman with candles and wax draped cross her shoulders and in another image, across her back. The contrast between light and dark in the photographer’s work blur the lines between reality and the surreal. Sobiralski uses soft and dark tones in her photographs, which often allows a certain object and colour such as red to stand out and be prominent.
What makes her unique in the world of modern day surreal photography is the artful incorporation of fashion in her work. Her models often sport large, extravagant hairstyles and make-up that can achieve the effect of creepy and beautiful simultaneously. The effects of the hair and make-up along with the imaginative background allow the artist to play with the features of her models in several ways. The photography is able to create an alternative world, where although the subjects are humans, their unsettling yet attractive features make them seem otherwise. It is in this way that Sobiralski is able to make her photography seem like portraiture and abstract paintings rather than simply a mere photograph.
Another important aspect of her work includes the use of furniture, props, and objects to enhance the meaning of the work. The photography goes past using humans only as subjects. Oftentimes, the use of furniture can help achieve the dramatic effect as well. For example, the use of a red exquisite sofa draped in velvet helps achieve the effect of luxury and opulence. In another image, pouring away what seems to be milk while the model stares into the distance, creates the effect of richness and waste while a live action is captured.
Helen Sobiralski’s work can be appreciated by a lover of art, fashion, photography, portraiture, and anyone who has a taste for creativity. She possesses an artistic quality so rare today to create work that is both appeasing to the eye and that can relay a theme. From magazines to art galleries, Sobiralski is an artist who can shine anywhere.